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Important features that all the best sewing machines have

When you have a quality sewing machine in the house, many of your everyday problems can be easily solved. From when your new dress is a bit too long to when your husband needs an additional buttonhole on a shirt or when you have decided to make your own curtains, a sewing machine will come in handy in a lot of situations and fix a whole lot of small family crises over time. To this extent, here are the most important features that all the best sewing machines have, just so that you know what to look for when buying one:

Automatic needle threader

This is basically a hook operation that forces a loop of thread into the hole of the needle and is very useful if you don’t exactly have the steadiest hands or eyesight. For many users this is the hardest part of the job, threading the needle and since you may have to do this operation several time for the same project, you will definitely thank yourself for having chosen this feature in the first place.

Minimum 4 built-in stitches

A good sewing machine will always have at least 3 built-in stitches and one backstitch. These stitches are the straight the zigzag and the button stitch. The backstitch serves to lock into place each stitch at the beginning and end of your project. Provided that you have these stitches available, you should be able to do any common household project that comes in your way. Of course, there are machines that offer over 100 stitches, but if you are not planning on using it for professional reasons, you will probably never going to need not even a quarter of those stitches, so choose something simple and cost-effective.

Lightweight

Even though this is not exactly a technical feature, it is still worth taking into consideration, because not too many people can afford to leave the machine in one place. Chances are you will have to move it around to make way for other items, so it is best to choose something lightweight that will not cause you too much pain when moving it.

Top load bobbin

The bobbin is a small wheel that provides the thread to stitch underneath the fabric. While traditionally sewing machines have this part underneath, it can be quite the hassle and fiddle to get it in place successfully. A top load bobbin will save you a lot of time, by allowing you to drop the bobbin into place and start sewing immediately.

Compatibility with various Add-Ons

Even though at first you may not need a tone of features, there may come a time where you will want more from your sewing machine and rather than buying an entirely new one, it will be much easier to buy some add-ons. For instance, if your machine has the basic 4 stitches, you could have the option to buy more stitches when you consider that you will need them. This versatility of the product will offer you more space and enable you to complete your projects successfully and hassle-free.